Nonary Game Jinchuriki Edition
by archsage328
Summary: Nine people find themselves abducted in the middle of the night, only to awaken on a sinking cruise liner. According to their captor, the enigmatic Zero, they must find a door with the number 9 on it in order to escape. Can these nine strangers work together and beat Zero's cruel game before their nine hour time limit runs out? Warning: FemNaruto
1. Prologue: Early November

Okay, so I've been wanting to try my hand at a Naruto fan fic for a long, long time, but until now, every idea I've had either already been done by someone else (and in some cases, far better than I could hope to achieve myself), or I'd think of a really neat concept, but no idea how to make it work. But in the last few years, I've started watching a lot of videos posted by a channel on YouTube called The Let's Dub Project, and fell head in love with their adaptation of 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. I eventually decided to get my own copy of the game (admittedly, the novel version for my phone), and in the middle of playing it, I had started getting some really interesting ideas, enough of which were solid to the point I felt confident writing and posting them as a new story.

Enough rambling, however. Let's get started! I hope you all enjoy my latest story!

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own the rights to Zero Escape or Naruto.

Prologue: Early November

Late one November evening, a young blonde woman was climbing up the stair of an apartment complex in Sendai, Japan. She was a strikingly beautiful lady, with long hair done up in two large pigtails on either side of her head, held together with red hair ties. The young woman wore an orange and black tracksuit with matching shorts and black open toed sandals. Her tracksuit was unzipped, revealing a fishnet undershirt and a pair of very striking assets. Her skin was silky smooth, her legs long and slender, and her eyes a deep, shimmering blue. But what were possibly the most striking feature of this lovely individual were the trio of whisker-like birthmarks on both of her cheeks.

What was the name of such a pretty woman, you might ask? She went by Naruko Uzumaki.

Eventually, Naruko had reached the top of the stair and stood in front of an unassuming door marked #701. Pulling her house keys out of her shorts pocket, she unlocked the door and shuffled into her one bedroom apartment. As she entered, she flipped a switch alongside the wall to her left, turning on the lights above her head. Here she lived alone while attending a local college in Sendai. While not the brightest student by any means, few could match her determination and work ethic. Didn't hurt that her boyfriend Hinata was always willing to lend her a hand with studying, either.

Unsurprisingly, it was pretty messy, just like she'd left it earlier. Textbooks were piled up high on her desk, empty ramen cups that had to be properly disposed of were lying on various pieces of furniture, a bunch of soda cans and various bags of junk food were scattered across the floor. All of these were remnants of the impromptu costume she'd held for her close friends a few days earlier. Naruko had dressed even more provocative than usual, donning a purple succubus outfit, in the hopes of getting a reaction from her boyfriend. While Naruko did feel guilty for effectively making Hinata pass out, the adorable stammering and the blush that extended from his nose across his cheeks and all the way to his ears made it more than worth the effort. The sight of her boyfriend resembling an ice cream sundae, complete with whipped cream and a cherry, instead of the snowman he was dressed as, would forever be ingrained into her memories.

Chuckling at the memory, Naruko didn't immediately notice that there was there was one thing about her apartment that was out of place. But eventually, she noticed the smell of autumn leaves and realized that there was a breeze blowing through the room. Brushing some strands of hair aside and patting down the top of her head, Naruko began looking around for the source of the night air wafting through the apartment. Before long, she found the culprit: an open window.

' _Did I leave it like that when I left?'_ Naruko pondered, before shrugging and making her across the room. But as she closed the window, she noticed something else that wasn't right. In the reflection of the window, she saw a strange, tall person standing behind her. The stranger was dressed in a long, dark cloak and their face was hidden entirely behind a bulky gas mask and a thick hood.

Startled, Naruko turned around and prepared to shout at the intruder before suddenly losing her balance and collapsing on the floor. Too late, she realized that the room was filling with a thick white fog, coming from a grenade-like canister lying not too far from where her head now rested on the floor.

"Consider this a privilege," the intruder spoke. The cloak prevented her from seeing any physical indicators that would imply one gender or another. On top of that, the cloaked stranger's voice sounded garbled, almost to the point of being incomprehensible.

"You have been selected to participate in the Nonary Game," the voice continued, cold and distorted. "It is a game where you will put your life on the line."

That was the last thing Naruko heard before she finally lost consciousness.

(To be continued)

Next time on Nonary Game Jinchuriki Edition: Time and Date Unknown

Well, how's that for a prologue? I know it's a bit different from how the game usually opens up, but I felt that I should shake things up whenever possible, even if it's in relatively small ways. And yeah, I know I'm behind enough on my other ongoing stories, mainly Outlaw Star The Flower of Fate, but it's been so long since I've written and posted anything that I decided that something quick and easy like this prologue would be a good way of getting back into a reasonable groove. This will be especially beneficial, since in addition to this and Flower of Fate, I have two other major ongoing stories I plan to start. But on top of all that, unlike any of the other stories, I have this one planned out ENTIRELY. In other words, I know exactly how many chapters there are going to be and what is supposed to happen within the confines of each chapter. What I mean by this is something I'll elaborate on as time goes on, but for now, not counting my one-shots, this is easily the most planned out in advance story I've come up with thus far. Took me long enough, eh?

Lastly, if there are any spelling or grammar errors I missed while editing this, please let me know, and if possible, let me know where I made them and what they are. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 1: Time and Date Unknown

Going to be honest. I was not sure how long it'd take me to write another chapter. But it seems that once I'm in my groove, it's hard to get me to stop.

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own the rights to Zero Escape or Naruto.

Chapter 1: Time and Date Unknown

KABOOM!

A loud sound woke Naruko, whose eyes shot open in a panic. As she blinked the tiredness away, it dawned on her that she didn't recognize her surroundings in the slightest. Still groggy, Naruko lifted her head, only to bang it on something metallic.

"OW!" she groaned. Had her thick hair not cushioned the blow, she might have bruised the skin underneath. Wincing slightly, her still-groggy mind tried to make sense of where she was, slowly taking in the room she found herself in now. She was sitting on what felt like a rather flimsy bed, and peering over the edge, her theory was confirmed. In fact, she on the top of a three-level bunk bed, and her poor head had had the misfortune of hitting against the low ceiling.

"What the…What the hell?" she muttered. "Where…Where am I? What the hell is the place?"

The next she noticed was that the whole room felt like it was shaking, and rather violently at that.

"An earthquake?" Naruko wondered aloud. But much to her growing confusion, the tremor gradually ceased. Overtaken by curiosity, the young woman climbed down the ladder next to the bunk bed, and stepped onto the cold grey floor. Patting down the top of her head, she began to truly take in her surroundings for the first time. The walls were a dull beige, and the room was furnished with an antique stove, a busted sink, a bulletin board, a large mirror, a white closet, a wooden table, and two triple decker bunk beds she been in was one of two. There were various other features of the strange room that stood out, but none more so than the rather dirty iron door in between the beds. Emblazed on the door in dark red paint was a large, rough number…

\- - - [ 9 ] - - -

Immediately, Naruko rushed over and began slamming her fists on the door. "Hello!? Is anyone out there!? What's going on?! LET ME OUT!" she yelled to no avail. But in the midst of her attempts to force open the door that Naruko noticed something on her left wrist. For some reason, she was wearing a weirdly colored bracelet. It was shaped like a digital watch, but the LCD screen displayed only one number rather than the time.

"A 9, just like the door…" Naruko mumbled, closing her eyes while she attempted to put the pieces of this strange puzzle. Just as she began to think, however, she noticed an odd sound from the other side of the room. Turning around, she noticed something she had missed in her earlier examination of the room. Near the sink and above the wooden table, there was a round window.

"That looks almost like a…" Before she could complete her train of thought, the glass of the window, or rather porthole, began to crack. While Naruko may not have been the smartest person in her class, even she was beginning to understand that she was in great danger.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Naruko screamed as the cracks deepened until the glass finally gave way to an incoming stream of salt water. The water began pouring onto the floor, encouraging Naruko to turn back around and redouble her efforts into breaking down the door. Unfortunately, the door refused to budge. But it was when the water was already ankle deep, her sandals completely drenched, that Naruko noticed what looked like a card reader. Understanding shining in her eyes, Naruko took a deep breath and steeled herself. Naruko may have had trouble studying for school, but when it came to areas like debating and solving immediately pressing issues, few could match her ability to think on her feet. And fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), having her life be in rapidly increasing jeopardy was no exception.

"Alright, time to get out of here. Believe it!" Raring to go, Naruko began searching every nook and cranny of the room for hints as to how to escape. Above the sink was a shelf with a picture frame on it, and when she removed the picture from the frame using the screwdriver hidden inside the stove, the back of the picture was shown to have ten shapes, half of them shaded in and all numbered 0 through 9. When combined with the scraps of paper she found on the bulletin board and beneath a pillow on one of the beds, she was able to crack the codes needed to open the blue and red briefcases on one of the beds and inside the closet. However, that alone wasn't enough.

Atop the stove was a kettle, inside of which was a blue key, which was the last requirement for opening the blue briefcase. Inside were some blue colored key cards numbered seven through nine and a file detailing something called a digital root, a concept Naruko had never heard of before now.

"Add all numbers in a set together, and if you get a number with more than one digit, add the digits together. Keep adding numbers until you have only one digit. That final sum is the digital root," Naruko read aloud. Clearly, this was something she was going to need to know if she were to escape, and with the way it was written, the concept was pretty simple to understand, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if this would be useful in any situation other than the one she was stuck in right now.

The red key was held to the mirror by a piece of tape, but as she removed the key, Naruko couldn't help but take a moment to glance herself in the mirror. Her normally beautiful, supple skin was strikingly pale, and her face looked sallow. As she racked her brain for how she could have ended up that way, the memories of the intruder in the gas mask resurfaced.

' _That's right…That jerk in the gas mask knocked me out. They must be the one who put me on this…boat…_ ' It was at this moment Naruko realized the water was already up to her knees, and if she wasted any more time, her shorts would be the next item on her body to be soaked through.

Quickly wading through the water back to the closet with the red briefcase, Naruko used the key to and the combination deemed through the cracking of the codes to unlock it for another set of key cards, only these were red and numbered one, two, and three. From what she could gather, the only thing left to do now was swipe the six key cards through the card reader by the door, but to her confusion, after swiping the three red cards, the asterisks on the card reader disappeared from the display after a loud buzzer sound, and the door remained locked. She tried again with the three blue cards, but ended up with the exact same results.

"Why isn't this working?" Naruko growled, the water just beginning to touch her shorts. After glaring at the painted nine on the door, a light bulb went off in her head. "Of course! Why else would they bother telling me about digital roots?" After a moment of thought, Naruko came to a decision and swiped the cards numbered one, eight, and nine through the card reader.

1 + 8 + 9 =18

1 + 8 = 9

This time, there was a small beep and the light on the card reader changed from red to green.

"Yahoo! I unlocked the door! Believe it!" Naruko cheered. Without further delay, she turned the door handle, and with a great heave, shoved the door open. Her joy was quickly cut short however, as a wall of angry water now shoved her through the door way and face-first into a nearby wall. Pushing away from the wall, Naruko began patting her injured face and then the top of her head as she looked around. The water that had followed her out of the room was now pouring into the hallway, splashing against a nearby set of steps. And at the top of the stairs was…

"Another door?" Naruko questioned as she made her up down the hall and up the steps. "Please please PLEASE be the exit! I want to get out of this crazy place!" Reaching the second door, she pushed it open, only to be greeted by quite an unexpected sight.

Before Naruko lay an ornate staircase, a polished floor, and beautifully decorated pillars. It was as though she had walked right into the entrance hall of a European mansion from the early twentieth century. For a moment, she couldn't help but wonder if she was truly onboard a ship.

"Am I really on a boat?" Naruko pondered. She turned around and stared down the hall she had come from. "Yeah, looks like I really am on a WHAT THE HELL?!" she finished with a roar as a wave began to form at the end of the hall, fast approaching her. Freaking out even more than before, Naruko slammed the door shut before bolting up the stairs. Closing the door had bought her some time, for as soon as she reached landing, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she had an opportunity to catch her breath. Turning her heard, she saw a plate mounted on the wall next to the landing, labeled [D Deck].

"What the…What is going on here? Where am I" she managed to choke out. Sadly, her moment of reprieve did not last. Before long, the door was forced open and the water came rushing towards Naruko in full force. Without further motivation, she sprinted up the staircase, taking two steps at a time. Before she knew it, Naruko had reached the top of the staircase, passing by landings with plates labeled [C Deck], [B Deck], and finally [A Deck]. She had barely begun to walk down the hallway to the left when she saw the silhouettes of four people making their way toward her at a fast clip. Before long, she began to make out more details of the four new presences.

The one closest to her was a man in his forties with thick red hair worn in a short ponytail, as well as a beard and mustache of the same color. He wore calf-length black boots, and a long-sleeved shirt and pants a shade of red so light it was almost blinding. Consequently, Naruko mentally dubbed him [Pink].

He was followed by what looked like two teenagers, one boy and one girl. The boy had messy grey hair with pink eyes and a scar running down the left side of his face. He was dressed in brown boots, a grey shirt, and grey pants covered in a bright green poncho. The girl was petite, with a deep tan that reminded Naruko of a surfer, orange eyes, and an orange hairclip in her spiky, short mint green hair. She was dressed in a short sleeveless white midriff shirt, long white armlets, and a short white skirt over it. Naruko mentally labeled them as [Poncho] and [Surfer].

Behind the pair of teenagers stood a reserved man in his mid-twenties, with pale golden eyes, stark-white skin, and brown hair that reached down to his shoulders and parted in a manner that covered his left eye. He was pretty thin, and dressed in a bright blue kimono with an orange sash so long that Naruko couldn't see his feet. Impressed by the fact that he was able to navigate so well without tripping on his clothing, Naruko gave him the name [Kimono].

Pink ran up to Naruko, took a brief look at her and sighed sadly. "I guess there's yet another victim," he muttered.

Poncho was the next to come up to Naruko, muttering as well. "One of us, I take it?" he grumbled. Something about the way he spoke and carried himself indicated experience that contrasted greatly with his youthful appearance, making Naruko question whether or not he really a teenage boy or a (rather short) young man.

Next to speak was Surfer. "I wouldn't recommend staying here," she said. "We've already tried to the doors on this side of A Deck, and they won't budge. Hopefully, the others had more luck than we did."

"Wait a minute, there are more people here?" Naruko asked incredulously.

Kimono was already brushing past her, but his face and tone were surprisingly calm, despite the circumstances. "I am not waiter, nor do I believe we have a minute to waste," he said. "But I do believe I understand your confusion. As she just said, however, standing here won't do you any good, especially if you truly desire answers."

Frustrated, Naruko resisted the urge to snap back at Kimono and felt in pace just a few feet behind him. Once they were back on B Deck, she was about to open her mouth and demand an explanation when she heard the sound of urgent footsteps coming from the staircase behind. Turning around, she looked up and saw three more people appear from the right side of the stairs, on the side of A Deck opposite where she had gone.

The first two people she saw were a woman and man in their late twenties and mid-thirties respectively. Like Naruko, the woman was a blonde, only she wore her hair in a single long braid that reached down to her waist, her eyes were dark and unusually narrow, and her skin was far paler. She was dressed in a dark purple and black short-sleeved blouse, black pants with cloud prints on them, a red belt, black shoes, and several strings of blue beads that adorned her left arm. Naruko decided on the name [Beads] for her.

The man next to Beads, meanwhile, looked quite different in comparison. He had chocolate colored skin with several tattoos, hair so blonde it looked as though it had been bleached white, and his eyes were hidden behind dark tinted shades. He wore a white scarf and flak jacket, grey colored pants and sneakers, and a red belt made from rope. For some reason, Naruko couldn't help be minded of a performer from an over-the-top music video, and thus named him [Rapper].

Behind Beads and Rapper stood one of the tallest people Naruko had ever seen. At over seven feet, Naruko had to crane her neck even further in order to gatch a glimpse of his brown eyes. The rest of his body was hidden behind various pieces of clothing, even more so than Kimono was. The giant wore a red, bulky coat; tall, crimson boots; a black vest and matching pants; and a red scarf that completely hid his nose and mouth. Atop his head was a large red straw hat. Only one name could possibly do the man justice, Naruko felt: [Volcano].

"Those doors were all locked, talk about lame! And from the looks on ya faces, it musta been the same!" Rapper shouted.

"Come on! Don't any of you have some good news?" Beads growled in frustration.

Volcano, meanwhile, looked down at Naruko and grunted. "So that makes nine of us in all," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Nine?" Naruko quickly counted the number of people present. "I only see eight! Where's this ninth per…" She trailed off, as a fourth person appeared on the stairs behind Volcano.

The newcomer was a young man around Naruko's age with a shock of red hair and dark, heavy bags around his green eyes, indicating that he had a very difficult time sleeping. He was clothed in a crimson colored long sleeved buttoned down shirt, with matching pants and a brown belt. On his back was a large brown knapsack, and like Naruko, he also wore black sandals. But his physical appearance had little to do with Naruko's gasp. Rather, it was because Naruko recognized him. His gaze met Naruko's, and he blinked in surprise.

"Naru-chan?"

(To be continued)

Next time on Nonary Game Jinchuriki Edition: 9 PM.

Alright, so here's where all nine players meet up for the first time, and from here on out, it might be a little harder for me. Quite frankly, I've always wanted to see more interactions between the Jinchuriki in the source material, but you can't always get what you want. So I'm both looking forward to and am outright terrified by the prospect of seeing how everyone interacts here. For one thing, there's not a whole lot to go by regarding certain characters personalities, but at the same time, that mean I have a relatively clean slate to work with. On the other hand, certain other characters are going to be MUCH harder for me to write BECAUSE of what is established about them. I may need a LOT of help with one character's speech patterns in particular, since I am not that good (or at least all that confident) when it comes to rhyming in general.

As always, if I missed any spelling or grammar errors while editing this (or if anyone thinks I may have botched up the physical descriptions of everyone while I tried to write their introductions), don't hesitate to let me know and where and when I made such errors.


	3. Chapter 2: 9 PM

Figuring out how much of Zero's instructions to reword and/or reorganize was a bit of a pain.

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own the rights to Zero Escape or Naruto.

Chapter 2: 9 PM

"Naru-chan? What are you doing here?" the young man with red hair asked, his voice soft with concern.

"That's exactly what the hell I'd like to know! But enough about me! What about _you_?" Naruko responded incredulously. The young man with red hair was named Gaara, and was one of her closest friends. They'd first met when they were both around age twelve, and while they hadn't started off on the best of terms, over time, they grew to acknowledge, trust, and eventually accept one another to the point where they saw each other as siblings. Nine years had passed since then, but while they kept in touch, contacting each other fairly regularly, it had been some time since they'd seen each other in person. It was for this reason and a few others (namely the situation they were currently in) that Naruko was fighting every urge in her body to run up and give her dear friend a huge hug.

Meanwhile, Gaara was still looking over his friend, as though analyzing Naruko cell by cell. As usual, his friend's body language was a dead giveaway of their inner turmoil. But he understood the circumstances all too well, and knew that this wasn't the time for even a handshake of greeting or any sort of physical contact, let alone a hug.

The friends' reunion was interrupted, however, by a sudden crackling sound. Looking around frantically, they eventually saw a loudspeaker jotting out from a corner in the ceiling. A cold, eerie, and familiar voice filled the hall.

"Welcome aboard," the voice began. "Please allow me, from the bottom of my heart, to welcome you all to this, my vessel."

With the voice's invasion, their seven companions stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the speaker. Some of those present glared at the loudspeaker, their faces the color of rubies and their eyes burning with enough hatred to make shatter a diamond. Others could simply stare, their eyes wide and their complexions pale.

"Does our host have a name?" Kimono asked with mock politeness.

"I am [Zero]," the harsh voice continued, interrupted only by the occasional crackling of static. "I am the captain of this ship, as well as the one responsible for sending all of you your invitations."

' _No doubt about it. That's the same voice as the jerk in the gas mask. Believe it!'_ Naruko mentally growled.

"Hey, asshole, get down from there! If ya don't, I'll maul ya like a bear!" shouted Rapper.

"What is it you mean for us to do here?" asked Pink in a forcibly calm tone.

"I mean for you all to participate in a little game of mine. It's called the Nonary Game," Zero informed them.

"Nonary Gamme?" asked Beads, narrowing her eyes.

"What's that?" added Surfer, tilting her head to the side.

"It's a game where you put your lives on the line," continued Zero, implacably. "The rules for the Nonary Game can be found on each of your persons. They are fairly straightforward, so I suggest you give them a glance."

Naruko saw Poncho pat down his pants before blinking suddenly. "They're right. There's something in my pocket. Check it out," he said as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of one of his pockets. This prompted everyone else to do the same. Before long, Naruko felt the telltale crumpled paper in her shorts. Miraculously, it wasn't wet from her earlier ordeal.

"Yeah, I've got one, too! Believe it!" said Naruko.

"Then it would seem Zero has seen fit to give each of us a letter. Would you mind reading yours to us, young lady?" Volcano asked Naruko.

"Uh, sure," she responded, and cleared her throat.

"On this ship, you will find a series of doors emblazoned with numbers. These are the [numbered doors]. The two doors on B Deck by the main staircase are a pair of the same," Naruko began. For the first time since Zero had begun talking, Naruko looked at the wall facing away from the staircase. There were two large doors, each with red number painted on them.

\- - - [ 5 ] - - -

\- - - [ 4 ] - - -

' _I guess these are the doors the instructions are talking about,_ ' Naruko silently filed away before she continued reading from what was effectively the instruction manual for the Nonary Game.

"The key to opening these numbered doors are the [numbered bracelets] that each of you possess," Naruko read. "Should you total the numbers on your numbered bracelets and find that the [digital root] of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open. Only those who have opened the door may pass through. There are, however, limits. Only [3-5 people] can pass through one numbered door. All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."

' _So this is a numbered bracelet, and that's why they included an explanation of digital roots in the room I woke up in,'_ thought Naruko, quickly glancing down at her wrist. Another quick look around her confirmed that everyone else had one as well, and the looks on their faces indicated that they had reached the same conclusion.

"Next, I shall tell you of the function of the [RED], of the [DEAD], and of the bracelet," continued Naruko." The RED is the Recognition Device. It will verify your number. Beside every numbered door, you will find a RED. The DEAD is the Deactivation Device. It does exactly what it says. Once you have passed through the numbered door, you must use the DEAD to stop the [detonator] in your bracelet. But perhaps you are wondering...What does this detonator detonate? I am afraid this may be something of a surprise. I have placed a [small bomb] inside of you, and the people whom you are about to meet. You swallowed it while you were unconscious. I have no doubt that by the time you read this note, the bomb will have passed your stomach and found its way to your small intestine. In other words, you will be unable to regurgitate it. I suggest you do not try."

It took a moment before the actual content of what Naruko had read aloud fully registered. "THERE'S A BOMB INSIDE ME?!" she cried out incredulously, causing a few of her companions to look at her with collective confusion. In an act of defiance, Naruko pressed her fingers inside her throat, with Surfer and Rapper joining her in her efforts, but alas, it was an act of futility and all three began to gag. The rest of their companions simply stiffened at the news. Gaara, Beads, and Poncho rested their hands on their stomachs while Pink, Volcano, and Kimono simply glanced back at their bracelets.

"Please," Gaara urged Naruko to continue after a moment of silence. The pigtailed girl sighed, but obliged nonetheless.

"As I mentioned before, the bracelet on your left hand contains a detonator," Naruko read as the letter continued to elaborate. "Think of it as a remote fuse, or [timer], for the bomb in your body. There is only 1 condition which will cause it to detonate. That condition is that you enter a numbered door. Once you have done so, the timer will activate, no matter who you may be. You will have [81 seconds]. If, after that time, the detonator has not been deactivated, it will send a signal to the bomb in your body, instructing it to explode. In order to deactivate the detonator, [every person who verified their number at the RED] must also verify their numbers at the DEAD. Once all numbers have been verified by the DEAD, you need only pull the lever at its side, and the countdown will cease. Anyone who does not verify their number at the RED will find themselves unable to verify their number at the DEAD. That is to say, if you should pass through a numbered door without first verifying your number at the RED, in 81 seconds you will be dead. You must also keep in mind that the numbered doors will close automatically after [9 seconds] have passed. So long as the door is open, the DEAD will not function. You would do well to remember this."

"Straightforward, my ass!" Naruko cursed Zero under her breath. A few of her companions raised at her sudden pause in the middle of her narration, but a quick cough from Gaara reminded her of the task at hand.

"Now, let us discuss [how to remove the bracelets]," the pigtailed woman went on. "There are only 2 ways to do so. One: You escape from this ship. Two: Your heart rate reaches zero. In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship, or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down automatically. There is no other way to remove your bracelet. If you attempt to force it off, or disable the detonator, the bomb within you will immediately explode."

' _It doesn't say anything about chopping my arm off, but let's hope it doesn't come to that,'_ Naruko prayed to herself.

"Finally, the purpose of the game is simple," Naruko said, realizing she was finally close to the end. "Leave this ship alive. It is hidden, but an exit can be found. Seek a way out... Seek a door that carries a [9]...And that's all folks!"

Several people face-palmed at the last part of her speech, which prompted Naruko to stick out her tongue. Nonetheless, she has finally finished reading, something that made her pretty happy. 'Now I have to do is remember all of those stupid rules…' she mentally cheered.

"Oh, but there is one more piece of information I must tell you," Zero spoke up first time in a while. "As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink. On April 14th, 1912, the famous ocean liner Titanic crashed into an iceberg. After remaining afloat for 2 hours and 40 minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. I will give you more time. [9 hours]. That is the time you will be given to make your escape."

The speaker went silent as the toll of a bell could be heard echoing throughout the hall. It took those present mere moments to trace the source to an antique clock embedded in the wall by the staircase. The clock chimed 9 times before going quiet.

' _Nine o'clock, huh?'_ Naruko pondered. _'If memory serves, it looked dark outside that porthole in the room I woke up in, so that probably means 9 PM, then. Geez, that means I've been out for at least half a day! Not only that, we've only got until 6 AM to get off this ship!'_

"Now, it is time," Zero remarked. "Let our game commence. I wish you all the best of luck." The speaker went silent once more, only this time around it did not speak again.

No one moved. Despite the great detail provided for them in the instructions each received, there were still too many questions that remained unanswered. Who was Zero? Were they some mad criminal who enjoyed forcing their victims to participate in twisted games? Or was there some other motive? And just what was the Nonary Game, and why had the nine of them been chosen to participate?

"Very well," Poncho's statement broke the silence. "Standing around here twiddling our thumbs won't change anything."

"That's right," agreed Pink. "Shall we get going?"

"What the…Do you actually plan to go along with what that maniac wants?" Beads cried out indignantly.

Poncho glared at Beads. "Not until we've taken a closer look at this ship, at least," he snorted.

"True," Kimono added. "We've only tried forcibly opening the doors on A Deck so far. It's not like any of us have actually tried seeing what else there is."

"Sounds like we've got a battle plan, then!" shouted Rapper. "So now that that's settled, let's meet up before 10!"

And thus everyone split up and began to search what areas of the ship they could reach.

(To be continued)

Next time on Nonary Game Jinchuriki Edition: 10 PM.

A bit shorter than the last chapter, but given the purpose of this one, I didn't want to go on any longer than I had to. Explaining the rules of the game is necessary, and unlike the game, I didn't want to do it in two separate parts, so I just got it all out of the way here.

In addition, a few heads up. First of all, to make my life easier, I'm probably going to simplify the puzzle rooms the way the novel version does, but not too much. After all, there are a ton of comedic opportunities to be had, what with bad puns, putting hands in fire, the funyarinpa, etc. Not to mention that with great resources like NicoB and the Let's Dub Project, there are way too many jokes for me to pass up on.

Second, I already have the teams who go through each door planned out, and will have a default narrator be the focus for each one. Anyone want to guess who's going through what door?

Third, there will be some shipping hints and such, but all I will confirm for the moment is that there is none planned between any of the participants in the game, and that if the previous chapter (or chapters, if you count the prologue) are any indication, there will be mentions of NaruHina, only with some genderbending thrown in.

That is all for now. See you all next time!


End file.
